The Expedition Portal 7.3L Diesel Excursion

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Expedition Leader

NO LONGER FOR SALE: SMOKEY IS HERE TO STAY
For those of you who have been following my travels or this build, you’ll know that this Excursion has been my daily driver, my home, and my passion project for nearly three years now. After selling my last truck, I set out to create a vehicle I would want to keep forever. One that would be reliable enough for world travel, capable enough for remote trails, and comfortable enough for me to live out of full time. Eventually, through a lot of hard work, careful planning, and long nights that dream became a reality, and I fell in love with the SUV now called Smokey.

It has been flawless throughout my ownership, conquering over 50,000 miles of pavement, dirt, snow, mud, and sand. It has taken me over mountain passes, through scorching deserts, and along emerald coastlines on adventure after fun-filled adventure. Now, I’m faced with a situation I had hoped would never come, selling it.

With the housing market being what it is, I need to free up additional cash to eventually buy my first home, and that means despite how much I want to keep this truck, I must let it go.

As many of you probably know, this Excursion was built without compromises. The base was a one owner garage kept truck in a small town in Georgia. It was owned by a retired naval aircraft mechanic, serviced at the same dealership it was bought from its entire life, and included every maintenance record down to the wiper blades. It had the perfect combination of options, Estate Green paint, the Limited package, 3.73 gearing with a limited slip, a 44-gallon fuel tank, and of course the venerable 7.3L diesel.

From this pristine base we built up to what you see in the photos above, and the huge gallery below. Every accessory was carefully considered, best practice was always used, and maintenance was always preventative using all genuine Ford parts. Every critical component was gone through, and many were replaced. An edge monitor was installed with an EGT probe to make sure temps stayed well within the limits, an upgraded transmission cooler was added to ensure no grade could pose a problem even while towing, and the entire cooling system was redone with brand new Ford parts just to be sure we wouldn’t encounter any issues in the field. We rebuilt the axles and limited slip, replaced the factory gears with 4.56 Nitro Gears to compensate for the eventual install of 37” tires, upgraded the alternator to deal with the increased load on the new AGM batteries and so so much more.

Then the modifications began to turn this family SUV into a real travel truck. It was lifted, armored, and equipped with recovery gear like a Warn 16.5Ti-s winch. Inside the factory seats were replaced with orthopedic Scheel-Manns from Germany, a full Goose Gear interior was built with flush locking storage hatches, two rear drawers, a 13 gallon stainless steel water tank and pump beneath the deck, and plenty of charging ports to keep your devices running on the go. There’s a fridge, a cell phone booster, an Espar diesel heater to keep you toasty in the winter, and a mud room to put your shoes in after long days in the field.

It has all the comforts you’d want, but in a simple and easy to use package that has been 100% reliable. All told this truck has over $55,000 invested in it not including installation costs or preventative maintenance, so I've made an organized list of parts and the vehicle's condition below to help sort through everything. You can also read the build article in the Gear 2019 issue of Overland Journal, or the repost of that story at the link below on Expedition Portal.https://expeditionportal.com/the-expedition-portal-diesel-excursion-wrap-up/

Note: The middle section of platform can be removed to install a second row of seats.

Condition
This truck needs nothing mechanically. It will be delivered with fresh fluids and an interior and exterior detail. That being said, it is still a travel truck and thus shows some signs of wear. There are some small scratches and chips in the paint. I’ve included some examples of the larger damage in the photos below. The most notable are two dents in the plastic rocker panel door guards. These can certainly be replaced or removed if you wish, but it’s very difficult to actually notice the damage unless you’re laying on the ground looking for it.

Repairs to be made before delivery
As you may notice the windshield was hit by a rock and cracked. I will have this repaired before delivery, or simply discount the price if the buyer prefers.

Observer

Oh my. This is probably my all time favorite vehicle. I have drooled over it since you got it and dreamt of hopefully buying it some day. Unfortunately, this is literally two months away from being the right timing. Bummer. I think it will sell quick Chris. Good luck with the house hunt!

Oh my. This is probably my all time favorite vehicle. I have drooled over it since you got it and dreamt of hopefully buying it some day. Unfortunately, this is literally two months away from being the right timing. Bummer. I think it will sell quick Chris. Good luck with the house hunt!

New member

Chris, I have followed your build and trips since you began with the Excursion. Very well done, sir! I am beginning a build on an '02 F-350 7.3 and am thinking that your truck would save me a LOT of time and is already very close to where I think I am going to end up...
That said, I have 3 questions: where is the Excursion located? did you have to do anything interesting to mate up the wonderful Scheel-Manns to the truck? How do you like the AMP steps? (I am trying to work the long-drive comfort issue and easier-cab-access-for-the-better-half problem before I get too far into the rest of the build.)
Thanks for taking us along on the ride as your ride was designed and developed!
HC

Expedition Leader

Chris, I have followed your build and trips since you began with the Excursion. Very well done, sir! I am beginning a build on an '02 F-350 7.3 and am thinking that your truck would save me a LOT of time and is already very close to where I think I am going to end up...
That said, I have 3 questions: where is the Excursion located? did you have to do anything interesting to mate up the wonderful Scheel-Manns to the truck? How do you like the AMP steps? (I am trying to work the long-drive comfort issue and easier-cab-access-for-the-better-half problem before I get too far into the rest of the build.)
Thanks for taking us along on the ride as your ride was designed and developed!
HC

The truck is currently in Prescott AZ with me. I used wedge seat brackets that were a simple and straight forward order online. No weirdness at all, they bolt right in
I LOVE the steps. Honestly one of the best things I did to the truck. They just make it so much easier and more enjoyable to use.

New member

Excursion Overland

Wow Chris! Didn’t expect that! DON’T do
It! You’ll have regrets! Especially with a find like what you started with. The 7.3L Excursion is an awesome platform for an Overland/Expedition vehicle! Maybe not for everyone, but sure is for me!

Someone is going to get an awesome rig! I too, like some of the others have been following from the beginning. Well, now my own Excursion build is finally underway. I guess I’ll just have to start that build thread. Stay tuned for that and would love to have you join the conversation.